Liability precludes me from going into detail about my crane (I'll never write about it specifically online). The structure is tied into my building for rigidity, so it would be negligent to advise you to build one like it. By tying it in, I got away with using lighter upright supports because their span and the associated leverage applied to them was reduced by attaching them to the walls. If I was to do it again, I would've had the uprights set in the foundation and enclosed within the walls.

My advice is to look at what's out there commercially and replicate it. I took several months examining what engineers had deemed safe before embarking on mine, and even then still consulted with ME's along the way.

Search the forum for Coffing's i beam strength and span chart. I posted it about a year ago but don't have the link on this computer. That chart is pretty good and includes the needed safety factor for the spans and load given.

Just remember that when you have a bridge crane, your load isn't always equally spread between the two runway beams. You need to size them appropriately to accommodate the load and the weight of the bridge at center span when the load is close to the runways. You can't just divide the rated load in half and split it between both runways.

Moonlight, I bet that cost more than 500 bucks.

You also can't cut things on your table without damaging it like I can.


A massively rigid table like that has it's place, for sure. Mine was a compromise between expense, functionality, and ease of construction. Without the crane, I couldn't move the plate you used for a top. Without the table, I couldn't raise my crane. Horse before the cart.